DATE

Adding agile to improve breakthrough innovation

For the past two decades, the information technology and software world has been applying the agile approach, a highly dynamic innovation model. As a result, the software industry has consistently produced patents at three times the level of the next-most prolific sectors. Today, agile approaches are increasingly being deployed alongside phase-gate processes in engineering and R&D functions outside software, also with positive results. In this article, Mitch Beaumont, Ben Thuriaux, Prashanth Prasad and Chandler Hatton at Arthur D. Little, discuss why companies that have successfully added agile methods to their toolboxes, and tailor their breakthrough innovation approaches by the type of innovation, perform significantly better than those that stick to the traditional waterfall/phase-gate approach.

Adding agile to improve breakthrough innovation

DATE

For the past two decades, the information technology and software world has been applying the agile approach, a highly dynamic innovation model. As a result, the software industry has consistently produced patents at three times the level of the next-most prolific sectors. Today, agile approaches are increasingly being deployed alongside phase-gate processes in engineering and R&D functions outside software, also with positive results. In this article, Mitch Beaumont, Ben Thuriaux, Prashanth Prasad and Chandler Hatton at Arthur D. Little, discuss why companies that have successfully added agile methods to their toolboxes, and tailor their breakthrough innovation approaches by the type of innovation, perform significantly better than those that stick to the traditional waterfall/phase-gate approach.